Repurposed for Business | 老式建筑的商业改造之路

Mr. Box All-In-One Industrial Park | 集盒一体化复合型跨界产业园

Written by (作者): Kiko Shi?施静敏Photos by (图片来源):??Mr. Box 集盒

For startups, a good location with reasonable rent is hard to come by. In China its even harder with business regulations that dissuade many from starting their own business. There’s a new industrial park in town that’s seeking to change all this, turning a former school campus into a haven for young creative companies, and this place is called Mr. Box.

?Mr. Box is a 38 acre (22,000 square meter) multifunctional industrial park combined with two-way governmental financial subsidies in e-commerce, cultural and creative industries. Its not only an ideal place for work, but for life, consisting of spaces for offices, e-businesses, entrepreneur spaces, arts, creative retail, and food. There is even a live music venue – Time Beacon Live House – and a skateboard park.

All-In-One

The park is located in Jiangdong District, close to the city center and a stones throw away from the Jiangdong District government offices. While traditional industrial parks lie in the suburbs for the sake of large space and cheap rent, Mr. Box is more conveniently located in the city center. Also, traditional industrial parks only focus on company set up, but Mr. Box prides itself in being an All-In-One (AIO) park which not only serves young entrepreneurs but can become a new spot for nightlife, entertainment, creative and cultural industries, and the arts.

The main investor in Mr. Box, King Hoo Town Industrial Co., Ltd., has previous experience with such projects, having already opened a branch of Mr. Box in Hangzhou, with Ningbo being their second location. The company is devoted to repurposing old buildings and bringing outdated areas back to life with the help of startups.

Starting Up with Mr. Box

?Mr. Box offers not only a great location but reasonable rent. The bottom price is 0.5 RMB/Day/Square Meters, which is impossible elsewhere in the city center. For those who are still on the way towards opening their own business, offices are available for 2-2.5 RMB/Day/Square Meters. Renting for stores is 3-8 RMB/Day/Square Meters. In some cases, you can get a 50% rental subsidy at most and a rent-free period for up to seven months. Some offices have already been decorated and are waiting for new businesses to move in.

All-round set-up assistance is provided by the park. Mr. Box offers free conference and reception rooms, and investment and financial offices have been set up to help companies with intermediary services such as legal financial affairs, human resources, technological application and trademark regulations. Consultations on applying for business funds at the national, provincial, or municipal level are also available to companies. In Mr. Box, entrepreneurs can discuss ideas and business issues, seek cooperation and share resources. Also, Mr. Box is cooperating with Ningbo University to provide benefits for students interested in setting up a business in the park.

What’s Needed To Set Up a Business in Mr. Box?

If you are confident enough in your business idea, now it’s high time to take actions. prepare the following documents.

Passport, visa, and translated copies of these documents with the translation company’s stamp on them.

A copy of your business license. If you haven’t yet applied for a business license, Mr. Box can help you with the process.

Original identification documents from the Chinese Embassy in your home country or from your country’s embassy in China.

Original documentations for your bank account from your home country.

?There are currently 80 businesses that have set up shop in Mr. Box, including some restaurants, a café, beer bar, music venues and more. Mr. Box will begin trial operations from August through September, after which it will hold a grand opening in October, so stay tuned!